Control
by EsophagealEruption
Summary: It would be nice to control your own destiny, but...Fate is unstoppable, and destiny is uncontrollable. The next best thing? Control someone else. Conquestshipping for Computerfreak 101's Season 5 contest.


No comments, today~!

…..........................

It's nice to know you have almost complete power over someone, that your word is like law and resistance is futile. But after a while, it doesn't feel right.

When I first got Mai Kujaku under the spell of the Orichalcos, I didn't really care that it wasn't real – this power over her. I could boss her around a little, which was nice, and I could talk to her, and make her forget everything we talked about...I could do all sorts of things with her. I have to admit, it was pretty cool at first, being a puppeteer, but...Then, she battled that rat, Jounouchi Katsuya, and something was different – I could see it in her eyes, her movements. Although she was still _my_ Mai when she cast the power of Orichalcos...Before I stopped the duel...Something was different – a flash of someone else, I'm pretty sure.

A fleeting thought crossed my mind – what if she loved him? - but I thrust the thought out immediately, because she was mine. All mine – that rat had no power over her, no power like mine, so it didn't matter.

I'm still convinced that she is mine, even though when she's not doing something I told her to, she's got that blank stare on her face, she's somewhere else. Even here on the calm, open seashore of Spain, I can tell she's not here all the time. Those lovely magenta-tinted amethyst eyes... I can tell she doesn't want to be here.

"I don't care," I said out loud, startling myself.

Mai looked in my direction.

"Is something wrong, honey?" she said, but it sounded automatic. Lacking.

"No, Mai."

"Are you sure, Varon?" false sympathy, "Would you like to go pick up shells? Or go to the market?"

"No, Mai."

"You're no fun," she commented, and started reading a Cosmo magazine. That was the only comment that seemed to have any backing emotion. I felt a stab of jealousy.

Where was the passionate, power-hungry, strong woman I'd met earlier this year? Besides being somewhat sealed away with the power of the Orichalcos, she hadn't changed this much since the battle with that boy.

A flicker of jealousy.

He caused this, caused my Mai to be different, to lack will and emotion. I should kill him. But.. I think Mai would not like that.

"I'm bored," my blond said, tossing the magazine onto the coffeetable, "Let's go do something."

I pushed her away. She frowned, and stood up.

I sighed, laying down on my side of the couch.

"If you're going to mope, I'm going to go to town alone," she threatened.

"..."

"Fine!" she pouted indignantly, "I'm going to town and I'm going to duel some guys and I'm not coming back!"

Click, click, click. Slam.

I heard her walk out, heard the cycle start. Heard it rumble into silence down the drive.

"There's no reason to keep this up," a voice came from seemingly nowhere.

I looked up, towards the direction of the voice. A hologram had appeared in my living quarters. Dartz, reporting from the main base.

"Dartz," I said, "I want to keep her. She's mine." Hm. My voice sounded a little high.

"Is she?" he asked, brushing a stray blue lock of hair from his face, "I don't think she is. I think..I think she belongs to Jounouchi Katsuya."

A solar flare of jealousy.

"She does _not_ belong to that...That little rat!" I said, vaguely aware that I was growling and had raised my voice to the man who took care of my finances, kept me out of jail, kept me afloat.

"And why not?" he asked smoothly, smiling a sly smile, "Why can she not belong to him? He's your age. She seems to li-"

"With time, she _will_ realize how much better I-"

The hologram flickered and changed. I wasn't looking at Dartz, I was looking at Mai, on the motorcycle, flying down the country lane that led to town. Flickered again, I saw her in the outfit she'd worn two days ago – her last tantrum, she'd left and gone to the city then, too – and she was sitting in a café, laughing and smiling. She had such a nice laugh, such a pretty smile. The camera swung, and I saw just who she was with.

"That...that _bitch_.." I growled, tasting the word for the first time in a long time.

The screen flickered, and Dartz appeared again, smiling.

"Now, who does she belong to?" Dartz said, smiling.

Oh, I hate that man, regardless of whatever he may – or may not – have done for me in the past.

Oh, I hate that woman, because I love her so much and she just-

"Now, now, child, there is no need for such primeval anger," the short, yet elegant man in the holograph said, his voice honeyed over with years of con experience.

I looked at him, and I felt the Star of Orichalcos burning on my face, searing into my mind through my forehead.

I felt the need to be near my master, suddenly, overcome by something. He had such a delicate frame, and I wanted to touch him and he understood my misfortune, he had the experience of thousands of years, and oh, if only...

"You don't need such a filthy woman," Dartz said sweetly, "Come with me, and we will create dominion accordingly..."

His words didn't make sense, but that didn't matter, because the hologram wasn't a hologram any longer, it was him, Dartz, ancient ruler of Atlantis, and he was here, with me, and he understood everything.

"Come," he said, "Come to me."

He led me outside and we walked, down the beach, to the bluffs.

"It's so nice out," he commented, looking out at the ocean.

We were at the bluffs, at the tallest one. Looking out at the ocean.

"You've let your emotions get in the way of your purposes," he commented.

I felt the attraction fade, gone as quickly as it had come. He looked at me with pity.

"You were so promising at first, too..Such a shame," he said, and looked out at the ocean. He was standing at the edge. I could push him off, to the rocks below, and that would be that.

I could get rid of him, and it would just be me and my Mai, and we could live here in Spain forever, and there would not be a problem ever.

I could reprogram her and make her forget the dirty weasel boy. He had a heart, he was a strong duelist, but Mai was Mine, and he was a dirty ratty weasel for thinking he could take what was honestly mine.

I could get rid of him.

I ran towards Dartz, intending to remove him from my life, and get my own on track.

My hands went right through the hologram that my handheld projector, attached to my jacket, had been sending. He appeared to stand still, frowning only slightly as I fell onto the rocks.

…..

Dartz watched, uninterested, as one of his minions plummeted onto a sharpened bed of rocks, was ripped to pieces in the riptide, gone. He stood and stretched, deciding he might have a sip of wine before bed.

….......

Hm~. Well, I wasn't sure about the pairing – it's been ages since I watched those episodes, but...I hope you liked it at least a little bit.

Quick Explaining:

Mai got into the Orichalcos deal with Varon, who is one of Dartz's apprentices, so far as I recall. Varon could boss her around a bit... In the series, according to my friend Mimi, Varon ran off to Spain in the end, so I just stuck them there for that reason. Mai went with him, she said, but left to find herself or something. And I don't think he liked Dartz a whole lot, but he tolerated Jounouchi... Anyways, as far as I remember, most of the info should be mostly correct anime-wise. If it's not, please point out major discrepancies not listed. Minor ones are okay to inform me of, but I might not change it if it's just trivial.

3 Please review, if you don't mind.


End file.
